Once the final period of the school day was over, Kenny made her way to the library to finish her homework. The room was empty and quiet, as it always was. She found a table near the corner of the room and pulled her books out of her backpack. However, while removing her textbooks from her bag, Kenny noticed something odd beneath all of her books. She pulled the object out from of her backpack and examined it.

It was a cardboard binder with the words "DECODED PAPERS" written on the front.

Kenny frowned as she looked upon the binder. She remembered keeping the files she had worked inside of the folder, but she didn't recall labeling it. The young girl opened the binder and flipped through the pages she had worked on. She thought about what Einstein had told her that morning in their physical education class as she looked over all of the papers in the folder. The files seemed to be written in proper English, and the only word that didn't still seemed like balderdash was "lacumemine."

Kenny tried to think of what had happened with Einstein the night before, but she was unable to remember anything but the feeling of peacefulness she had felt when she woke up. Frustrated, she turned to the first page in the binder and read what she had decoded:

The information in this folder is owned by the School for Gifted Children and the International World Affairs Bureau. This information can only be viewed by authorized personnel. Authorized personnel include: Gifted iWAB agents, iWAB agents who work and research in the Gifted division, staff members of the School for Gifted Children, radiologist Dr. Connor Kane, and any and all workers who participate in the Nursery program. If any unauthorized personnel views this information, they are to either be sent to the detention room or terminated.

Kenny took a moment to process what she had just read. She was worried about the threat in the final sentence of the paragraph, but curiosity burned inside of her like a fire. Einstein had told her there was nothing about Black Outs in the files, but he had also said that he'd had an interest in the intelligence inside of them. He had to have asked Kenny to decode the files for a reason, and the young girl wanted to figure out what that reason was. She skipped the rest of the first page, as it only described who should and should not be reading the documents in her hands. The second page started immediately with the hidden intelligence:

09-19-50

Group A was in the Nursery last night. Testing included assessing the children's limitations on their Gift and finding symptoms of Gift overexertion. Several of the children passed out before their tests had finished, which did not help with the research. However, we found common symptoms in all of the children: exhaustion, headache at the back of head near Z-area, dizziness, high blood pressure, and uncontrollable bouts of Gift usage. With this information, we can see that it would be impossible for a Gifted child to continuously use their Gift for eight hours without injuring themselves.

We found that the new version of the lacumemine drug (or the LM for short) works much better than the previous one. Not only are the children unable to recall what happens during their stay at the Nursery, but the anti-anxiety effects of the drug cause them to feel as though their loss of memory is nothing to worry about. With the new addition to the drug, the children should feel untroubled whenever they bring their memory loss to mind. However, we are still prepared to send children to the detention room if they become suspicious of the program.

We will continue our study of Gift overexertion throughout this school year. Today, we will conduct the same study as last night on Group B and see how their symptoms compare with those of the members of Group A.

Kenny closed the folder and took a moment to breathe before starting her homework. This was what Einstein had to have meant when he said she'd translated the files wrong. The files seemed to be describing experiments on the students of AGC, which couldn't be possible. There had to be another reason why she couldn't remember what had happened the previous night.

It only took the young girl an hour and a half before she completed her homework. She put her books back into her bag, throwing the binder back with them. She decided to speak with Einstein about what she had read the next day and her memory of the previous night. She thought back to her dream and considered the possibility that what she could have dreamt about the her stay in the Nursery.

But how did I dream about the Nursery? Kenny asked herself, frowning. If what the papers say is true, I shouldn't be able to remember anything, much less have a dream about it.

This question stuck with Kendall for the rest of the evening. She left the library earlier than usual and watched Jump carefully before she decided to go to bed. The next morning, it was easy to see that her roommate was acting unusually. However, whenever she thought about questioning Jump, the calmness from the day before returned. She frowned, wondering if this was truly the effect of a single drug.

Kenny was quiet during breakfast, preferring not to partake in conversation, and she barely paid any attention in her first three classes. She only vaguely noticed that Mr. Roberto was called down to the Main Office during Training class, and she quickly realized she could take this time to tell Einstein about the files.

Kenny pulled a blank index card out of her pocket. She quickly scribbled down what she had found in the decoded papers and thrusted it towards Einstein before Mr. Roberto returned.

The files seemed like they were properly decoded. They spoke of experimentation and testing in the Nursery, the card read.

Kenny expected Einstein to ask what the Nursery was, but he sighed instead. "I told you to return those files and stop talking to me, Hawking. You shouldn't have looked inside. The punishment for viewing them is a day of detention."

Kenny froze. The only way Einstein could have know that was if he read the files.

Einstein looked up from his work and stared at the young girl with bored eyes. "I lied once again, but I was trying to help you this time. You did decode the files correctly. Now, you have to return them before Dr. Anderson finds them in your dorm room and sends you to detention."

Kenny retrieved another blank card. Experimentation. On us, the students.

"I know, mute. I heard what you said the first time. Tell me, what's the last event that you remember occurring last night?"

You frightened me and I dropped the English Latin dictionary. It was about eight o'clock.

Einstein nodded. "As I suspected. Do you want to know what happened after that? We finished decoding the files using your method, and I told you there was nothing on Black Outs in the files. You almost left, but I convinced you to stay and told you about the Black Outs myself. We established that you were having both postcognitive and precognitive dreams, and I think that might be the reason you're having Black Outs. However, before we could talk in detail about this newfound information, we were taken to the Nursery and tested on."

Kenny stared at the boy in shock. How do you know all of this? she demanded.

"Because lacumemine doesn't work on me," Einstein replied flatly. "It's impossible to manipulate the mind of a mind manipulator with anything: drugs, hypnotism, another mind manipulator. I can't be forced to forget the Nursery like you were."

I didn't forget. I had a dream about the Nursery.

"Then they didn't factor your memory into the equation that tells them how much LM to inject into your body. But it doesn't matter. There's nothing you or I can do about the Nursery. I thought maybe the files would have information to help me create an escape plan, but they just describe the experiments."

An escape plan? Kenny asked curiously.

Einstein nodded. "I may not be influenced by the LM, but that doesn't stop Dr. Anderson from experimenting on me. I've been asked not to speak about what happens, or else I'll be killed. I'll be leaving soon, especially now that I've told you about all of this. However, I still can't find my way around the security cameras or the scanners. The devices document everywhere everyone's ever been, and that's especially the case for me."

Kenny stared at Einstein in horror. He had to be lying to her. There was no possibility that any of what he was saying could be true. And yet...it made sense. Kenny had known something odd was going on at AGC; she just hadn't known how severe it was.

She hadn't known there was a chance Einstein would be murdered and her sentenced to detention.

"You look as though you're going to be sick," Einstein commented.

I might be, Kenny replied. She felt nauseous thinking about the Nursery and decided to change to subject of conversation to something only slightly less worrying. Why can't you get into security mainframe using a computer and shut down the cameras and scanners?

"Why do you assume I've learned to hack?" Einstein asked before shaking his head. "In fact, don't respond to that. My hacks are extremely weak and can be traced back to me within seconds. On a regular PC, I can quickly change the wallpaper before I'm caught. However, the only computers with access to the mainframe are personal hologram computers, and students aren't allowed more than fifty feet near a PHC on campus. Not only are the computers voice-activated, but they have a nearly impenetrable firewall. I couldn't hack that if I tried, so I have to find a different way around the scanners."

Kenny paused. She thought back to the day she had arrived at the Academy for Gifted Children. Miss Kaylee had placed her in the ND room with a Orion. She had signed into the computer. She now knew she'd felt nervous afterwards for a reason.

Hesitantly, Kenny told Einstein, I signed into a personal hologram computer on my first day here.

The boy paused, his eyes hardening. "That's not funny, mute. I said the computers were voice-activated."

Kenny nodded irritatedly. She shook the card she had previously shown to Einstein before writing a new one.

Selectively. Selectively mute.

Einstein shifted in his chair. "Let's say you did sign into Orion," he said after a moment. "Why would you help me get into the computer? I've lied to you more times than I've spoken the truth. What are you hoping to receive for helping me?"

Some peace and quiet after you leave, Kenny replied on a blank card.

Einstein scowled. "Meet me in the library tomorrow after school. We'll talk more about this later," the boy muttered as Mr. Roberto entered the room. Kenny turned back to her paper in a state of delayed shock and wondered what she had gotten herself into.

****

The next day, Einstein was in the Clinic with migraines. Kenny found the library was empty for everyone except Miss Gavin, and the silence felt unsettling rather than peaceful. The young girl decided to conduct some research on the information in the files, specifically on lacumemine. She used her cards to ask the librarian whether the computers in the room had been cleaned of the virus Einstein had spoken of.

"Virus?" Miss Gavin asked. "Who told you that? There's no virus on the computers."

Einstein must have lied about the virus, too. I misheard, Kenny lied. She removed a different card from her pocket. Thank you.

Kenny turned away from Miss Gavin's desk and made her way over to the library's computers. She sat at the one closest to the far corner of the room and swiped her ID card on the scanner. The computer whirred to life, and Kenny opened the search engine. She spent the next forty minutes searching up phrases such as, "lacumemine drug" and "Academy for Gifted Children." However, the only page that Kenny found that had to do with either of those belonged to a conspiracy theorist who fought against the existence of iWAB. Kenny bookmarked the page before logging off of the computer.

Frustrated that she was unable to produce any results in her search, Kenny decided to return to her dorm room and spend the rest of her day there. She no longer felt comfortable in the same room as a school administrator. Miss Gavin had access to the files as an AGC staff member and could be participating in the Nursery.

All of Kenny's teachers could.

The young girl packed up her things and started on her way to the Girls' Dormitories. She cut through the grass between the Clinic and the building students weren't allowed near. As she walked, she wondered whether that was where the Nursery was rather than the school building. She remembered what Einstein had told her about all students remaining at least fifty feet from a PHC.

Perhaps that's where the rest of the PHCs on campus are kept, Kenny speculated.

Because she was staring at the building before her, Kenny wasn't watching where she was going. She ran into someone, almost falling over in the process. She looked up to find Einstein standing before her.

"First Gene and now me, mute," the boy snapped. "At this rate, you'll absentmindedly slam into everyone on campus before winter break. Watch where you're going."

Kenny stepped aside to let Einstein pass, for she didn't want to be the focus of his anger when he had one of his infamous mood swings during his postdrome. However, his feet stayed rooted to the ground, and his eyes followed Kenny. The young girl stared back at him for a moment before realizing it was best for her to leave him there. She turned to walk to her dorm when Einstein asked her a question.

"Hawking, why don't you talk?"

Kenny paled. She pivoted on her heel and shoved a card toward Einstein that read, None of your concern.

"You told me that you're only selectively mute yesterday," the boy continued. "Why would you choose not to speak to people if you're able to? And who do you speak with? Your family?"

None of your concern, Kenny replied once again.

"Is it because you don't like the way your voice sounds?"

None of your concern.

"Is it because you don't think it's important to talk? Because it is, Hawking."

Kenny put her card away and turned back toward the Girls' Dormitories. She started on her walk to her room, trying to ignore Einstein behind her. He was unable to follow her into her dormitories, so she continued on her way. He continued asking her why she didn't speak as they walked, and Kenny refused to respond. The two were nearly at the brownstone building she resided in when Einstein asked, "Is it simply because you're scared to talk? Is that why--?"

Kenny swiped her ID card on the scanner and slipped through the door. She slammed it shut and tried to take deep breaths to calm herself. Einstein tended to act like an intrusive six-year-old both before and after his migraines. She thought about what he had asked her and questioned the same information of herself.

Am I scared to speak to others? she wondered self-consciously. After a moment, she shook her head clear and walked toward her room. She had to read the rest of the files before her next meeting with Einstein, and she wanted to start as quickly as possible.